(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
Last night’s Blazers Bike Night was a lot of fun and — despite the weather and the score not turning out like we hoped — we managed to boost the biking spirit at the Moda Center.
Before the game got started, a few dozen hearty souls showed up at Peace Park in full rain gear regalia. That was our meeting spot for the group bike ride to the arena. It was cold and drizzly — not exactly the type of weather that encourages people to hang out. But even so, there were lots of smiles and everyone was pumped for the game.
Once I handed out my entire supply of Blazer bike bells and said hi to everyone, we rolled out parade-style along N Interstate Ave. Our ride took us to the north entrance via Jack Ramsay Way (formerly known as Winning Way) and we rolled through Veterans Memorial Coliseum plaza into the bike valet parking. Kiel and his crew from Go By Bike took care of all the bikes and bags and Jeff from Bikeracker provided the racks while Metropolis Cycle Repair offered free bike repairs.
I didn’t see it myself, but by the time the game started, the entire bike valet parking was full!
With no break in the dreary weather, most people hustled inside and found their seats. Meanwhile, I got to roll my bike inside and set up a “community table” near the main entrance. I wanted my bike at the table as a conversation starter — after all, I only had free bike maps to give away. The organization next to me was giving out plastic fly-swatters and was swamped with people the whole time!
Even without any free plastic knick-knacks to give away, I had several people stop by and talk to me about bicycling: A family from Grants Pass, a guy from Gresham, a couple from Canby. One of my goals for this event is simply to give bikes and cycling a stronger presence within the Blazers organization, and having my banner and bike in a prime location before the game and during half-time is a big part of that.
Here are a few of the Blazers Bike Nighters who stopped by our table…
Many of the 100 or so people who bought tickets through our special discount link stopped by the table to say hi and pick up one of the super-cool, Blazer logo reflective stickers they made just for our event! They were a huge hit.
Once I made my way into the game, I loved seeing so many familiar faces in nearby rows. It was like a little bike party!
I hope everyone had a good time. And thank you for supporting Blazers Bike Night. We’re already looking forward to making our next one even bigger and better. Yes, we are doing this again on April 8th. Stay tuned for details.
(But wait, there’s more… The winner of the LaMarcus Aldridge autographed helmet is Katrina Yuen! Congratulations!).
Thanks Jonathan for all that you do to improve biking in our great city!
The ride and game was lots of fun! Thank you for coordinating, Jonathan. The kids love this event, and we will be at the April one as well.